Apparatus for storing forage



Aug# 5, 1952 F. N. G. KRANlcK 2,605,692

APPARATUS FOR STORING FORAGE TTORNEY Allg- 5, 1952 F. N. G. KRANlcK 2,605,692

APPARATUS FOR STORING FORAGE Filed Aug. 22, 1945 2 SHEETS-SHEET '2 5 y INVENTOR FRANK M G. KRAN/c 'SY ATTORNEY 3 The top casing section I3 is provided at one side with a conveyer belt 136 and an operators platform or catwalk 31. A pivoted gate or deflector 38 extends at an angle across the upper run of the belt for causing forage material on the belt to be discharged into the container, the falling material passing along an inclined chute board 39. If desired, the conveyer belt and catwalk may serve a plurality of forage containers,

in which case the pivoted gate 38 provides a selective discharge means, this gate being swung between active and inactive positions. Forage material, especially in the case of light chopped material, may also be fed into the conveyer by blowing it through a feed pipe 40 connected to the top casing section. Theroof o-f the container may .be provided `with a suitable ventilator 4I which in some instances may be of the eduction type. f

A vertical shaft 42 extends centrally in the container and is suitably journalled at its upper and lower ends in bearings 43 'and 44, The shaft is driven by any suitable source of power, such as an electric motor 45 having a belt drive connection 46 with Vthe shaft. A light-weight discharging or unloading rotor 41 has a hub 48 slidably but drivingly mounted on the shaft, as by a key projection 49 on the hub tting in a keyway 50 in the shaft..V The rotor is of skeleton form and has upper andlower radial Vanes I and 52 connected to a circular rim 53, the vanes 5I forming fan blades land the vanes 52 having teeth 54 to loosen the packed forage in the container. The rotor rests lightly on the top of the forage and when rotated in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2 serves to blow or fan the loosened forageinto the tangential discharge extensions I5 of the casing sections, the doors I8 at the discharge level being open during this operation. Since the ducts 25 are at the outer sides of the annular casing sections I2, the rotor periphery can be brought reasonably close to the inner walls of these casingsections. During loading of the container the rotor is held in its uppermost position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, as by a blockand-tackle, not shown.

The container II serves to store hay, stover or other forage which is delivered into the container by the conveyer belt 3I,k or in some instances by the feed pipe 40. have a moisture content which is too high to permit safe storage and in such case the material in the containeris dried to an extent permitting safe storage. After forage is deposited in the containertoja depth of a few feet, the gate or damper 33 of the lowermost side wall air duct 25, and also-the gate or damper 34 of the floor duct, are opened; and the gaseous drying medium (natural air, warmed air, or gas) is delivered'to the header or stack 29 by the blower 30 for a sufcient length of time to obtain the desired degree of dryness. As more material is deposited in the container, which may occur at different times during the day, or ondifferent days or even different weeks, and as the material in the lower region of the container is reduced to the desired degree of moisture content, the gates 33 and 34 of the lowermost side wall duct and floor duct are closed, and agate of a higher side wall duct is opened, permitting .drying air to be forced through the upper material. As the mass of material being dried or aerated at any one time is limited in amount, the resistance to air flow is kept low, thus avoiding excessive power consumption in moving the air. The gated ducts The forage may l permit the air to be introduced into the forage mass in the container at different levels as needed and also permitl proper aeration of the material regardless Vof the extent vof filling of kthe container.

vWhen airis introduced into the container from one of the higher side wall ducts 25 it is not always necessary to close the gates of the lower ducts,l as the increased resistance to air flow in the lower parts of the material will limit the air flow therein and cause most of the air to flow into the container from the highest open duct.

After the loading operation is completed, the rotor 41 is lowered onto the top of the material, and when material is to be unloaded the gate or door I8 nearest the 'top of the material is opened, whereupon the rotor is rotated by the motor 45, causing a looseningfof the material, if packed, and fanning the material into the discharge duct I1 where it falls into a suitable receptacle such as the cart 24.

The loading and discharging means for the forage material may also be embodied in similar forage container such as silos.

The discharging means forms subject-matter of my copending application for Forage Containers, Serial No. 146,121, filed February 17, 1950.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A forage container having side walls, a duct extending about said sidewalls, said side walls being apertured for admitting a gaseous drying medium into said container from said duct, means for causing the medium to ow under pressure into an end of said duct, and a normally closed movable closure for the other end of said duct, said closure when open permitting material deposited in said duct to be blown out by the gaseous pressure therein.

2. A forage container including a casing section of generally annular shape having side walls and having out-turned peripheral flanges, and a duct extending about said casing section and having connection anges secured t0 said casing section peripheral flanges, said walls being apertured for admitting la gaseous drying medium under pressure into said container from said duct.

3. A' forage container having side walls with vertically spaced peripheral flanges, and achannel-shaped duct4 member extending about-,said side walls and having upper and lower parts se,- vcured to saidwanges, said duct memberbeing adapted to receive therein a compressed gaseous drying medium, and said container side wallsbeing apertured at said duct member to admitthe gaseous drying medium into said container from said duct member.' j

N.,G. KRANICK.

REFERENCES lCITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 334,937 sheds Jan. 26, 1386 653,032 McDaniel July 3, 1900 .857,098 .McNees June 18, 1907 877,141 Thompson Jan. 21, 1908 936,011 Meyer Oct. 5, 1909 1,068,176 Scott July 22, 1913 1,184,385 scmany May 23, 1916 1,905,883 `Barstow et al. Apr'. 25, 1933 2,000,103 Shodron May 7, 1935 2,299,299 Bills Oct. 20, 1942 

